#162: The Grasmere Dialect Plays

#162: The Grasmere Dialect Plays

From Countrystride by Countrystride

April 17, 2026 · 55 min · Episode 162

About this episode

The episode explores the Grasmere dialect plays and their cultural significance through the lens of Eleanor Rawnsley's life and contributions.

...in which we visit springtime Allan Bank to explore the forgotten phenomena of the Grasmere dialect plays – celebrations of Westmorland dialect and life that put Lakeland on the national cultural map for nearly 40 years – and the woman behind them, Eleanor Rawnsley (née Simpson), second wife of Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley. In the company of Eleanor's great-niece, Harriet Spence, and academic Sue Wilkinson, who has resurrected the plays for a modern audience, we discuss the emergence of the turn-of-the-century village drama movement and Eleanor's relocation from London to Grasmere, where she acquired a passion for local dialect. A series of clips from the plays featuring members of the Lakeland Dialect Society illustrate recurring themes: local traditions like rushbearing and pace egging; marriage proposals (and refusals); vignettes of everyday life including sheep-clipping and children's games. As Sue describes the plays' extraordinary rise in national fame – which brought queues over Dunmail Raise and reviews in papers worldwide – Harriet details the developing three-way relationship between Eleanor, Canon Rawnsley and his increasingly frail first wife, Edith. Emerging from World…

People in this episode

Host: Sue

Guests: Harriet Spence, Sue Wilkinson

Topics covered

  • Grasmere dialect plays
  • Westmorland dialect
  • village drama movement
  • local traditions
  • Eleanor Rawnsley

Keywords

  • Lakeland Dialect Society
  • turn-of-the-century
  • cultural map
  • marriage proposals
  • World War II

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Grasmere Dialect Plays, True Help Meet"

Places: Westmorland, Lakeland, London, Grasmere

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